Vintage Electric Guitar Repairs
So your vintage electric guitar is giving you fits. No matter what, it just doesn’t sound right. No problem! These pages are designed to help you define and repair some of the more common electronic ailments of an electric guitar. Don't be intimidated by the guitar, after all you are bigger than it is and you have thumbs! At first it may seem overwhelming to look inside of it and see a spiders web of wires and soldier, but if you treat it correctly you should have minimal difficulty.
Before repairing anything you must decide where the trouble is, right? So be sure to check all your cables and batteries before you get into the guitar. If all the cables check out and the batteries are fine then it's time for some fun! You'll need the correct tools for the job (soldiering iron, soldier, wire cutters, screwdriver, etc.).
The following is a list of common repairs often very easily solved. Please check to see if any of the descriptions fit the bill… simply click on the description and instructions for the repair will follow.
- No output at all
- Intermittent output
- Pickup fades in/out
- Scratchy volume, tone, switch or input jack
- Very loud hum
No output
Start by removing the input jack from the guitar and check to see if there are any loose or unconnected wires. Sometimes you get lucky and it's just a wire that's come off…if not then go ahead and clean the jack with contact cleaner or you can use rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab to wipe out the funk. Always test your repair when you have finished to see if you need to go on.
Then take off the electric cavity cover plate and take a look inside. Look for any wires not connected, if there are none, then check for cold soldier joints. A cold soldier joint is simply a soldier connection that has lost continuity and no longer passes the electrical current. You can easily repair a cold soldier joint by just reheating it with a soldiering gun. Reheat all of the joints including the input jack and the switch and check your work.
If the guitar still refuses to work, clean all the pots and switches and check out the guitar. If there is still nothing then you need to start checking components. For this you'll need a multimeter, if you don't have one then I wouldn't suggest going any further. Take it to a qualified repairman and go in there with the knowledge that the repairman will really have to work to earn the money.
Intermittent output
Is your guitar only working sometimes? It could be any number of things but this little tip may help. Check that Cord. Not chord but the cord. Many times it's due to poor cables or jacks and since that's the simplest fix we'll start there. Didn't do it? Then move on down the line...
Start by cleaning the input jack with contact cleaner or you can use rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab to clean out the jack. If that didn't fix it up then you need to clean the selector switch and potentiometers with contact cleaner. Spray the switch and pots well and work them back and forth several times. That should solve the problem. (You can also use WD-40 in a pinch but it will cause gunk to build up after a while) If that didn't do it then next you should check for a cold soldier joint. This will require you to heat up the soldier joints on the guitar. Unplug the guitar from the amp so you don't blow the amp and begin to reheat each place where soldier touches metal on the guitar. If you'd like you can check each by turning the amp back on to find out if that was the one but I'd suggest waiting till you've done them all. (Especially if it's a good tube amp.)
If that still didn't get it going again you may have a problem with the pickups, pots or the switch that needs to be replaced and for that I would suggest that you should take it to a qualified repairman unless your good at soldiering and have the right tools and parts.
Pickup fades in/out
If the pickup volume fades in or out while your playing it's more than likely in the switch or volume potentiometer and it just needs to be cleaned. Spray contact cleaner into the switch or volume pot and work it back and forth and that should clean it up. If not then it may be within the switch or potentiometer or the pickup and should be checked out by a qualified repairman.
The reason is that sweat and hair and that general funk from your body will somehow find it's way into the things and clog it up. This needs to be cleaned on a regular basis to keep it in good working order.
Scratchy volume, tone, switch or input jack
Does your guitar make an annoying static "scratch" when you turn the knobs or move the switch or even when the guitar is plugged in and the cable gets moved? Then more than likely it's nothing more than dirty contacts in that part. You can easily fix this by just spraying contact cleaner into the part and working it back and forth until the contacts are cleaned. However, there are some potentiometers that have a very delicate meter inside of the casing and the contact cleaner will damage them beyond repair so be careful. Also be aware that some switches can be disassembled and cleaned from the inside of the guitar.
If the static still remains then you should refer to a qualified repairman.
Loud hum
Does your guitar hum? Not any song in particular but just hum? Some people like that but most of us don't and I'll tell you how to stop it. First off, single coils will hum. Especially around powered devices (amps, tv's, computers, neons or fluorescent lights, etc.) And there is not a lot anyone can do short of modifying the pickup. But if your humbucker is humming there may be something wacky going on.
Check the wiring in the control cavity and make sure the pickup is wired correctly. No loose wires or strange animals crawling around inside? If not then it's time to check out the grounding system. You'll need a multimeter to check for continuity between each soldier joint. If you don't have a multimeter you should refer to a qualified repairman.
Check for any broken continuity between joints and the cavity ground (ground wires that should be connected to the body of the guitar) if all check out be sure to look for the ground that leads to the bridge and double check it out be sure. The ground wire for the bridge should be secured to the spring claw or the baseplate depending on the model and type. This will ground the strings and keep many outside interferences from taking over your guitar.
If all the grounds check out then it could be within the volume or tone pot, the switch or the pickup itself. You can replace the pots or switch if you know what you're doing. Pots are an easy change. Just unsoldier the connections, remove it, replace it with a new one and re-soldier the connections in the same way. Switches are the same deal...remove, replace, re-soldier. But if you're not comfortable doing that you should refer to a qualified repairman. If the noise still persists we've found noise sources in amps, cords, outlets, overhead powerlines and various appliances in the house so be sure to check your power circuit! Good luck.
